I found TORN (or did it find me?) about 7 years ago and loved the small, witty community of people from various locations around the globe. Oh, yes, we eagerly anticipated the movies, but we also thoroughly enjoyed one another and, on occasion, sparred with one another. This was good, too, as long as the differences remained at the level of civil discourse. It can actually be fun to have a running disagreement between mature people. Alas, as with any other arena of human interaction, we occasionally fell short of the ideal.

I initially registered as Frodo Hoy back then. I went through a phase of a number of months when I changed to Frodo Gardner - some of my posts are saved on humor collections under that name. But Frodo Hoy I am and remain. In the last several years, I have posted infrequently on TORN, but I have often stopped by the old place to read.

I reside in southern New Hampshire with my wife of 25 years and our three children. The oldest two are in their twenties (the eldest, our only daughter, was born six days after our first anniversary), and our youngest is a freshman in high school. My wife and I never subscribed to the myth that the teen parenting years are doomed to heartache and conflict. Our experience certainly has belied the maxim. As our kids have aged, we have learned to respect and love them more, and we have appreciated the outgrowth of their character and decision making. Of course they have not been perfect (what kind of fool expects that?), but they have added greatly to our joy in life.

As with some others who post here, my trust in God through the Lord Jesus is at the core of who I am. I make no pretense of perfection (anyone that has even a rudimentary understanding of the Christian faith knows the opposite holds for any true believer), but I do claim to be accountable to a standard of character that is derived from those attributes of God which are not exclusive to deity. In other words, I don't know everything, or have all power, etc. (the exclusive attributes of God), but I am supposed to be truthful, faithful, good, loving, patient, etc. (those godly characteristics that are accessible to humans). Inasmuch as any of my posts may fall short of the latter, please feel free to hold me accountable. The early ages of TORN bear evidence, I am sure, to how I have fallen short of the mark.

One reason I love where I live: I love long walks in the woods, both in the mountains and in the flatter areas closer to my home. The extended time without any sort of snow cover this winter (until this week) has been a delight to me and my wife. We've explored old trails and found many new ones within a half hour's drive of our home. "From some way off, or so it seemed, he thought he heard a cry: 'Hoy! Frodo! Hoy!' .. 'Frodo! Hoy!' came the thin voices out of the mist."